I Got You!
by celestial-irondad
Summary: Tony saves Peter from himself.


bio!dad tony

warning: panic attacks, depression (?), suicide attempt

also: tony has a metal arm

—

After Peter came back from his trip to Europe, he hasn't been the same. The kid kept looking at him from across the room, and always seemed to relax whenever the older man was around.

At first, Tony chalked it up to him going overseas for the first time without him, but his behaviour was getting worse. Peter would constantly be next to him, and have anxiety attacks when he wasn't around. It was getting concerning, because he really didn't want to see his baby to suffer in any way.

He had no idea what happened on his trip, but was aware that his kid had met Fury. Was there something more that he's not telling him?

—

"Dad," Peter's voice cracked as he reached out to him, and Tony's reminded of when Peter was four, eyes red and face flushed. He remembered his child having a nightmare, and the cuddling afterwards.

Tony tried not to frown down at Peter. "I'm just going to the kitchen to get some snacks, Pete. I'm not leaving."

"Dad," his broken voice called out again. "Don't go."

And his eyes were glazed over and Tony knew he was having a panic attack. Peter yanked his hand back when Tony grabbed it, screaming and crying. Tears streamed down his face steadily and Tony regretted not having just sat down.

"Baby, I'm here," Tony whispered, crutching down. He looked up at Peter, who had his hands fisted tightly in his hair, eyes wild and body trembling.

"No, Daddy, don't go. I'm sorry!"

The genius choked back his own sob. What happened in that trip? How dare Fury mess up his child, his pure and innocent and loving child?

Damn it all, why hadn't he left New York as soon as he heard some sort of water monster attacked Venice?

Tony placed his hand on Peter's kneecap, movements slow and tentative to not scare his child. "Hey, baby, I'm here. I didn't go anywhere."

"No! I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" Peter screamed, choking on his sobs, coughing up phlegm. "I promise I'll do better, dad! Don't die!"

The billionaire was taken aback. Don't... die? He knew bringing Peter to the battle field was a bad idea, but was he that affected by his snap? Peter didn't say anything before that wretched trip to Europe, but after...

Tony made a move to carry Peter, but he backed away, slapping his arms away. "Don't _touch_ me, Beck! No! I didn't kill dad!"

Who was Beck?

"Peter," the engineer's voice was firm and strong. "Baby, listen to my voice."

His kid quietened down, eyes still glassy, body shaking. Tony continued. "You're in New York, Pete. You are home with me, your dad. Who is very much alive."

Peter's tight grip on his hair loosened, arms wrapping around his body instead. Tony gently touched Peter's leg again, relaxing when Peter didn't scream this time. The rubbed circles into his child's leg, smiling when Peter calmed down significantly.

"Hi, baby," Tony smiled, when Peter seemed coherent and conscious enough.

His spider-ling placed his own hand over Tony's, looking smaller in size. Peter looked at him with wet and red-rimmed eyes, squeezing his hand.

Tony got up, legs protesting and back cracking. "I'm going to carry you now, is that okay, honey?"

Peter's hair bounced as he nodded, and lifted his arms so that Tony could carry him easily. After the bite, Peter barely even weighed anything anymore, and Tony was sure he had lab equipment heavier than the teen, but carrying him was also easier, so he didn't complain.

His kid was wrapped tightly around his body, face buried in his neck. The engineer reached his bedroom, deciding that Peter should sleep with him tonight.

—

The first time Tony went up to the rooftop of the tower was because he couldn't find Peter in his room. It had been a few hours after his bedtime, and when the genius checked in on him, the bed was empty.

So he asked F.R.I.D.A.Y, who told him that his child was on the roof. Tony had rushed up, frantic and desperate. When he saw Peter, eyes blank and feet dangling off the side of the roof, Tony nearly had a heart attack.

"Baby?" He has asked, and Peter seemed to snap out of whatever, looking over to Tony with a small smile.

"Can I sleep with you tonight?" Was all he said, as if he didn't look like he was going to jump. Tony just nodded shakily, yanking Peter over the edge gently, and buried his head in his hair.

He ordered F.R.I.D.A.Y to alert him whenever Peter went on the rooftop after that.

Tony was in the lab when his A.I told him, calmly, that Peter was on the rooftop again. He hit his head in his haste to get to his child, not bothering to clean up his mess properly.

He reached the rooftop too late, a second after watching Peter fall with his own two eyes.

The genius screamed, slamming his hand over his arc reactor, not waiting for the armour to properly encase him before he was diving after his child. Peter was out of it as Tony shouted at F.R.I.D.A.Y to increase thruster speed, only snapping out of it when Tony shouted, "I got you!"

Fear filled Peter's eyes, as if Tony _hadn't_ just seen his own flesh and blood jump off a skyscraper deliberately. "Dad— Dad!"

Tony nodded, feeling the restriction from the helmet. "I got you, baby, I got you!"

He caught Peter just in time, the feet of the armour scraping the pavement as Tony flew back up. Peter was shaking in his arms, like he'd woken up from his haze in the middle of the fall. Which, to be fair, was what happened.

Once the father-son pair got settled into the living room of their private floor, Peter burst, crying as he told his father what happened on the trip.

How Quentin Beck used him, manipulated him, tricked him and made him see _all_ those _trippy illusions. _He told a shocked and angry Tony that Fury had found him in his hotel and demanded he fight those _things_, even when all the kid wanted to do was to enjoy his trip.

By the end of his recount, Tony was ready to suit up again. He had the fury of a thousand hellhounds, the wrath of a hundred gods.

"I'm going to kill that—"

Peter grabbed his metal arm, the one they built together after Thanos. "It's okay, dad, I'm okay."

Tony didn't really want to leave his child, anyway.

—

The next time Tony sees Fury was during an official Avengers meeting. Fashionably late, tinted glasses and all, Tony strolled up to the director and slapped him. Hard. With his metal arm.

To say the sound was satisfactory was an understatement. Tony wanted more. He wanted to _hurt_ Fury. How dare the pirate hurt his child? _He has to pay, and pay he will. _

The director glared at Tony with his one eye, while the rest of the room gasped in shock. "What the hell, Stark?"

"Touch my kid again, and we're gonna have problems," Tony growled, eyes narrowed, flashing behind orange tinted glasses.

"Tony? You're alive?" Steve asked, confused and a little scared.

Okay, so maybe Tony forgot to tell the other Avengers that he was alive after the snap, but could anyone blame him? He got to live in peace without having to worry about being called in to save the world, or to fix weaponry, or to invent something new.

He could just be a stay-at-home dad, caring for Peter and Morgan. What else could he want? Money wasn't an issue, and he was surrounded by the people he loved.

"You have a metal arm."

It was Bucky's voice that brought Tony out of his head. The soldier sounded like he was in awe, and was blatantly staring at Tony's arm.

"Peter made it with me," Tony didn't know why, but he gave that information up willingly. Maybe because the soldier also had a metal arm, or because Tony didn't mind him.

Fury, on the other hand, seemed furious. "You were alive this whole time— and you didn't bother to even tell us? We were told you were dead! Even had a funeral and everything."

Tony snickered. "Oh yeah, the funeral was fun, Peter was an excellent actor, and Pepper was the best."

The director with the eye patch looked like he was three seconds from actually murdering Tony this time. The billionaire acted like he didn't notice, strolling to pull a chair out, sitting down with the grace of a swan and the confidence of a peacock.

—

"So," Pepper started the moment Tony saw her. "I heard you told them that you're alive."

Tony laughed, the sound bright and light. "More like I waltzed in and slapped Fury with this baby," Tony waved his bionic arm, grinning as he continued. "Then told them I was never dead."

Pepper gave him what seemed to be a disapproving smile, and Tony immediately dived in to explain himself. "It really wasn't my fault, I was really going to behave for once and listen to you, but Nick hurt my baby and I couldn't just—"

Pepper shushed him, giving him an eskimo kiss. "Tony, I know. I'm not mad, you did what you had to do."

And then, after a hot second— "Did F.R.I.D.A.Y get the footage?"

"Of course, what do you take me for?"


End file.
